King Kamoshida: Damn, Phantom Thieves will never get me. They can dream all they want but it'll never happen.
Persona V: Reversing the Wheel of Fate
Chapter Twenty
[Opening Scene: Palace of Lust
[Theme of Palace of Lust: King, Queen and Slave (Another Version) from Persona 5]
"Fuck…" Joker said.
"Hehe, who knew you all made it this far," The knight angrily said. "Unfortunately, this is where it all ends for you thieves!" The knight exclaimed before he and his soldiers exploded, revealing A War-Hungry Horseman and three Brutal Cavalrymen.
"Now to bring you all to our lord!" The War-Hungry Horseman exclaimed before he dashed forward.
[Theme of Battle: Last Surprise from Persona 5]
Joker immediately ran forward and jumped into the air and nailed a dropkick to the War-Hungry Horseman's chest, causing the shadow to skid backward on his horse.
"Leader! This guy is weak to lightning!" Pixie yelled in his head.
"You know what to do, don't you?" Arsène taunted.
'Watch me!' Joker thought with a smirk as he landed on the ground jumped from left to right to avoid the jabs of the War-Hungry Horseman's spear.
"Weakness Identified!" Joker exclaimed as he pointed his right hand in the shape of a finger-gun and shouted, "Pixie: Electrocute!"
Lightning formed around his right hand, and with a burst of electricity, Pixie appeared at the edge of his finger. She gave a wink as her body became encased in lightning before she darted towards their enemy at top speed.
The electrified Pixie collided with the Horseman's chest, causing it to wail as electricity streaked around his body before the shadow fell to the ground.
Meanwhile, Lioness lifted her shield and blocked a cleaving strike from a Brutal Cavalryman, which caused her to skid backward before she shouted "Skull!"
Skull ran forward and jumped into the air with a shout of "Gotcha!" and, with a swing of his pipe, landed a brutal strike to the knight's head, which caused it to whip backward. Lioness let out a yell and smacked the spear from her shield and shouted, "Drown him: Boudicca!"
Boudicca appeared with a flash of cobalt blue fire, and with a point of his spear, an orb of water formed around the shadow then exploded before Skull suddenly shouted, "Shock the world: Captain Kidd!"
Captain Kidd, in the same cobalt blue flames and pointed his cannon and fired a bolt of lightning at the shadow, which caused the shadow to yell as lightning streaked through the water before it exploded into an inky black substance.
The pair then saw another Brutal Cavalryman charging towards them, and Skull smirked before he said, "Captain Kidd: Run 'em through!" Captain Kidd appeared once again and shot towards the knightly shadow and dodged a spear from it before running the shadow through with the ship's bowsprit.
"Boudicca!" Lioness shouted with a point at the shadow.
Boudicca appeared and spun her spear, and with a shout, she lunged her spear through its head, twisted it sharply, and ripped the head from its body, causing the headless shadow to melt into the familiar inky black substance.
"That's metal," Skull noted as Boudicca pulled the head and smirked at Captain Kidd before the two personas vanished, causing the head of the shadow to plop in front of Skull and Lioness.
Lioness shrieked in surprise and hid behind Skull, who laughed at the sudden shriek.
Panther launched herself into the air as she used her whip to wrap around the Brutal Calveryman, and when she landed on the ground, she began to pull hard. Mona leaped to the head of the horse and stuck out his tongue with a "Nyeh" before he lunged forward and stabbed the knight in the chest.
The knight growled in anger and attempted to swipe at Mona with its spear, but Mona flipped off the horse and said, "Zorro: Blow them away!"
Zorro appeared in a flash, and with a swing of his rapier, a gust of wind slammed into the shadow, which sent it to the ground, loosening Panther's whip around its neck. Panther turned around and flipped into the air and shouted, "Carmen: Incinerate!"
While in the air, Carmen appeared and winked before she waved a hand, causing a burst of fire to collide against the shadow, causing it to wail in agony before it melted into that familiar black substance.
Panther landed beside Mona and said, "Easy."
"Piece of cake," Mona replied before the two high-fived.
The War-Hungry Horsemen rose to its feet and saw Joker and the other Phantom Thieves surrounding him and scowled. "I may die now, but Kamoshida-sama will live on. I swear it."
"Pretty bold words for a dead Shadow," Joker replied with a grin on his face. "It's kind of sad. I thought this would be a challenge."
And with those parting words, Joker motioned to his team, and without hesitation, the group dashed towards the shadow and began to rapidly stab, slash and whip at the shadow at rapid speed.
Joker jumped into the and stabbed the shadow in the head with his knife and twisted it before he flipped off it and landed on his feet.
Joker then tugged at his left glove as Pixie flew around him and gave a peace sigh. "The show is over," the two chorused before the shadow behind him exploded into the black substance.
[Victory Theme: Battle Results from Persona 2: Eternal Punishment]
"Man, we are too good!" Skull said he wrapped an arm around Joker's neck with a laugh, causing Joker to lurch forward with a grin on his face.
"Stylish and savage. That's what we are," Panther proudly said as she high-fived both Lioness and Mona.
"Kamoshida won't know what hit him," Lioness said with a beaming smile.
"While we do kick ass, not all battles will be as easy as that," Mona said with a serious look. "Our next fight will be with King Kamoshida himself, so we must prepare."
"Agreed. Let's get some rest. We have a busy day tomorrow," Joker told his team with a confident smirk on his face.
[Scene Change: Café LeBlanc (Evening)
Theme of Café LeBlanc: Beneath the Mask From Persona 5]
"Hey kid," Sojiro said the moment Ren walked into the LeBlanc Café, nearly glowing from the success of reaching the treasure in Kamoshida's palace.
All he had to do was grab some pajamas from his temporary room, and he would be back at Haru's to create the note that would bring Kamoshida down for good.
"Hey Sojiro-san," Ren said with a smile.
"Staying with that Haru girl again?" Sojiro asked.
"Yeah. If you want me to stay here tonight, I can," Ren said.
Sojiro laughed at this and replied, "Believe me, it's nice that you're not here all the time. You may be here for your crime troubles, but I won't dissuade you from hanging out with friends. Just always keep me posted."
"Thanks, Sojiro-san," Ren replied with a slight bow.
"Yeah, yeah…You can call me Sojiro, kid. No need for the "-san" at all," Sojiro said before his eyes lit up, seemingly remembering something. Sojiro suddenly walked from behind the counter and held out a piece of paper to him. "Here," Sojiro said.
[Theme of Bitterness: Confession Secret from Persona 5 ]
Ren looked down to see a familiar number on the paper and felt his blood run cold. "When did she call?" Ren asked the older man.
"Just about…" Sojiro glanced at his watch. "Twenty minutes ago. I'm surprised that she called the shop instead of calling you directly."
"I blocked their number…Hers and everyone in that town…" Ren softly said as he looked down with a scowl on his face, which made Sojiro look at him with concern.
"Do you not wish to talk to her?" The older man asked.
"No…" Ren said. "I-I…" Ren took a deep breath and then said, "I did everything right, you know? I saw someone in trouble; I went to help and then got framed for assault against the guy. Not only did my folks abandon me, but everyone else I cared about did, and now, after getting rid of me, they want to talk to me? After being the ones to initiate me coming here?! That's bullshit!"
Ren tossed the paper to the ground, unable to stop the frustration from filling his veins. It was then he felt Sojiro's hand on his shoulder, which prompted Ren to look at him.
"I know you feel abandoned because of what happened, kid," Sojiro told him softly. "In your shoes, I'd pissed too, but these are your parents… We only get one of those in this lifetime. You don't have to talk to them now, but you'll want to at some point because none of us are promised tomorrow. You should know that after your skirmish. Alright?"
Ren nodded, feeling a little foolish for his outburst. "I'm sorry, Sojiro…I didn't mean to get so angry…"
"Look, I may be tough on you because of your situation but don't think I don't have a heart. Women love that, you know?" Sojiro joked, which caused Ren to chuckle. "I know it will take time for you to forgive them. Betrayal is never an easy thing to get over so take it at your pace."
"My pace…Okay…Thank you," Ren gratefully replied.
"No problem," Sojiro said with a grin before his phone began to ring. "Oh, I better take this. I'm heading out for the night. Lock up when you leave."
Ren nodded, and Sojiro quickly walked out the door while answering his phone with, "I'm on my way now."
After Sojiro was gone, Morgana poked his head from Ren's bag and told him, "Wow…I never saw you lose your cool like that…Are you alright?"
"I'll be fine…Just have to take things step by step," Ren said. "Let's get those pajamas and head out…"
Morgana nodded, and Ren went upstairs, but not before grabbing the piece of paper.
[Scene Change: Okumura Residence (Evening)
Theme of Bitterness: Confession Secret from Persona 5]
"Haru."
Haru looked up to see her father, Okumura Kunikazu, standing in front of her, his cold gaze piercing through her soul.
"Otou-san," Haru replied with a bow of her head.
"This weekend, you are to accompany Sugimura and me to a party. I do expect you to be well behaved," Her father said as he adjusted his orange checkered tie.
Haru bit back the retort that wanted to escape her mouth and merely nodded, but her face showed her disgust at the mere thought of being seen anywhere with Sugimura.
"Where are you off to, Otou-san?" Haru questioned.
"I have a business meeting in America to deal with. I won't be back until Friday night," Okumura replied. "I also got the word you had people over recently."
"I did Otou-san," Haru said.
Okumura nodded, and for a moment, Haru saw something change within his gaze.
It looked almost…happy…
But as quick as it appeared, it disappeared.
"Very good. As long as these friends don't interfere with our dealings with Sugimura, I will allow you to continue to have them over whenever you desire," Okumura stated.
"Thank you, Otou-san," Haru said with a bow of her head.
Her father merely nodded and walked out of the room without sparing her another glance or word.
[Theme of Malelovant Shadow: Bomb Shelter from Persona 2: Innocent Sin]
"Once again, you're trapped with him…" The voice in her head stated.
'Shut up…' Haru thought back.
"You know Sugimura will try something again on Saturday…" The voice replied. "We were barely able to persuade him the first time…Do you think he will listen again?"
'I have to make him try…Just until my Otou-san sees reason…' Haru replied.
"Reason?" The voice questioned. "He is far gone from reason. If he had that, we wouldn't be in this situation. We wouldn't be with the abuser!" The voice yelled, which caused Haru to wince in pain before the voice followed up with a gentle "We would be able to be with whoever we wanted to be with…"
'I know…I'll figure out something…I promise…' Haru thought.
[Theme of Safe Space: Have a Short Rest from Persona 5]
Five minutes later, there was a knock at her door, and when she answered it, she was met with the grinning faces of Ann, Shiho, and Ryuji.
"Mission succeeded?" Haru asked.
"You know it," Ryuji said excitedly.
Haru beamed and gathered the group into a hug, which the group returned before she ushered them in as she said, "I'm sorry I had to leave. I wanted to wait for you guys outside the portal, but Otou-san wanted to see me before he left."
"Hakuna Matata," Ryuji told her with a carefree tone.
Haru grinned then asked, "So when is it going to be finished?"
"We want to get the note done tonight," Shiho chirped.
"Yeah, but Ren asked for us to wait for him. He had some errand to run," Ann said.
"Well then, allow me to make some tea," Haru said with a smile.
Twenty minutes went by, and Ren and Morgana had arrived, and the group stood in front of Shiho, who held a small red letter in her hand.
"Ready?" Ryuji asked.
"Ready," Shiho said before she began to read the calling card. After Shiho finished, she looked up at the group. "Well? Think it sounds strong enough?"
"I like it," Ryuji said. "Sounds very ominous."
"Not bad for the first letter," Morgana said with a nod of approval.
"I wasn't digging the whole "Phantom Thieves of Hearts" thing, but it kind of puts a nice little bow on it. Nice call Ryuji," Ren said with a grin.
"Now I wonder where should put it," Ann asked.
"The bulletin board," Ryuji said. "Everyone passes that thing every day. Be a good place to do it."
"This is so exciting!" Haru exclaimed happily. "I wish I can join you guys in stealing his treasure…"
"Who knows what the future may hold," Ren said with a smile. "For now, let's get some sleep for tomorrow…We deliver the letter, and his heart will be ours."
[Scene Change –Shujin Academy (Daytime)
Theme of Shujin Academy: Want to be Close from Persona 3]
Makoto couldn't sleep.
All last night she kept replaying the words that Ren had said to her from the day before.
"Will you stand by and allow Kamoshida to continue to wreak havoc on the schoolmates we are here to protect, or will you stand up and stop him with me?"
Makoto knew that his words shouldn't have struck her so much, but they did. She could hear the determination in his voice; she could see the confidence in his eyes and the pride he held for himself in his smile.
She felt her heart quicken.
It was becoming dangerous to keep thinking of Amamiya Ren like this.
As she entered the school, she noticed a group of students huddled around the bulletin boards, and it was then she saw red cards hanging off of it. "Excuse me," Makoto said as she shoved through the mass of students to read it.
[Theme of Calling Card: Tension from Persona 2: Innocent Sin]
"To Sir Suguru Kamoshida, the Bastard of Lust,
We have been watching you for some time now. We know of your twisted and lustful desires that you have forced on the helpless students of Shujin Academy. We also know of the ways you force those same students to stay quiet against your abuse.
And that is why we've come for you. To make their voices heard and protect them from the monster you have become. Come tomorrow; we will steal away those desires and make you confess your sins, for we are the Voice of the Voiceless.
Signed,
The Phantom Thieves of Hearts…"
Makoto's eyes widened before she felt someone behind her. She turned around to see that enraged face of Kamoshida.
She had never seen him look like that before.
"Who wrote this?!" Kamoshida roared, causing all the students to shrink away from him in fear. "Who's responsible for this?!" He yelled again, which made Makoto take a step back.
He looked almost unhinged as he yelled to one random male, "Did you do this?!" He then looked at a freshman female and shouted, "Or was it you?!"
All of the students, herself included, backed away from him, giving him a large berth of space, where he began to rip the cards away from the bulletin boards before the enraged look faded away.
Kamoshida looked normal again as if the notes didn't happen, but as Makoto looked at his eyes, she was told a different story.
There was something dark and menacing in them.
Makoto then felt herself take a sharp breath. She had seen that look on criminals' faces when she was younger.
It was the look of a cold and unrepentant criminal.
'Ren…He never had that look in his eyes, and he's the supposed criminal…' Makoto thought.
It was then she saw them.
From the corner of her eye, she saw them down the hall.
Suzui Shiho…Takamaki Ann…Sakamoto Ryuji…
And the smirking Amamiya Ren.
And it was then she heard him say inside her head.
"He deserves the justice that is coming for him, and you will see that soon enough."
Ren: Heh, It's time to end the Kamoshida arc. I hope you guys enjoy that chapter because that's the next one.